60+ Online: Engaging Seniors through Social Media & Digital Stories

This report has two aims. The first is to establish the elements of an interests-participation model for developing sustainable digital media skills and literacies among seniors aged 60 and over. To do this we describe and evaluate the 60+ Online program, a series of co-designed workshops that target creative and social interaction skills. The second aim is to present a rich qualitative account of the digital technology and social media environment that surrounds our project participants. Without accounting for the everyday contexts in which seniors engage with digital technologies, digital literacy programs are unlikely to succeed in a meaningful and sustained way. The interests-participation learning model encourages seniors to use digital storytelling and engage critically with social media. Building on an extensive research base, 60+ Online aims to ignite interest and skills for digital participation by shifting the focus from operational internet skills to strategic and creative skills as well as social interaction. The model also moves from a didactic tutorial format to one oriented around creative digital and social media tasks situated in real personal, local and community contexts. 60+ Online aims to: 1. Empower seniors to connect with each other and participate in local community and services using digital devices and social media platforms, and 2. Embed and sustain digital engagement practices through everyday activities and existing localised training contexts to improve digital participation outcomes. The 60+ Online project piloted workshops co-designed with seniors in Melbourne, Australia through Knox City Council and City of Boroondara Council in partnership with Telstra.